The present invention generally relates to a novel device suitable for attaching an intravenous infusion pole (hereinafter "I.V. pole") of the type having wheels supporting the I.V. pole for movement across a surface, such as, the floor of a hospital, to a wheeled patient transport device, such as, a wheeled stretcher or a wheelchair so that the patient transport device and the I.V. pole can be moved as a contiguous unit across the floor.
I.V. poles without wheels have, in the past, been most commonly associated with hospital beds on which clamps have been provided so as to support the intravenous medication. Generally, an I.V. pole is of sufficient axial length so that intravenous medication can be elevated with respect to the patient receiving the treatment. In such a manner, gravity aides in the direct intravenous infusion of the medication into the patient.
In recent years intravenous infusion pumps have become widely used for patients receiving intravenous medication and such pumps now represent the state of the art for administering intravenous medication. Intravenous pumps, however, can weigh between 30 to 40 pounds and are, therefore, mounted on I.V. poles which have wheels for mobility across the floor of the hospital. It, of course, becomes necessary to move the infusion pump without detaching the pump from the I.V. pole when transporting a patient who is receiving intravenous therapy via an intravenous infusion pump. If the pump is removed from the I.V. pole, there is a danger of dropping or otherwise damaging an expensive and highly accurate piece of equipment. Moreover, another I.V. pole may not be available when the patient arrives at his or her destination. Accordingly, most intravenous pumps are rigidly secured to an independently mobile I.V. pole. Accordingly, the I.V. pole and the patient transport device must be concurrently moved when the patient is transferred or otherwise moved to a different location in the hospital.
It has been recognized that the proper procedure for moving a patient undergoing intravenous treatment via an intravenous infusion pump is to utilize two Hospital attendants. That is, one attendant is preferably utilized to push or otherwise assist in the movement of the patient on the patient transport device while the other attendant assists in moving the I.V. pole concurrently with the patient transport device so as to prevent or minimize the possibility of the patient being disconnected from the intravenous pump. However, as the reader will appreciate, utilizing two attendants each time a patient who is undergoing intravenous therapy needs to be moved is, of course, costly to the hospital. Moreover, two attendants are sometimes not available.
When two attendants are unavailable, the burden of moving the patient and the wheeled I.V. pole carrying the intraveneous pump, of course, falls upon one attendant. This procedure is less than desireable since movement of both the patient via the patient transport device and the intravenous pump via the wheeled I.V. pole is extremely unwieldly.
In practice, hospital attendants when faced with such a prospect have endeavored to tie or otherwise unite the wheeled I.V. pole to the patient transport device. Thus, it has been found that hospital attendants will tape the I.V. pole to the patient transport device. Additionally, it has been found that attendants will tie the I.V. pole to the patient transport device utilizing a length of electrical cord associated with the intravenous pump. In each instance, it is attempted to secure the I.V. pole to the patient transport device yet, as the reader may appreciate, such procedures are not adequate.
It is with the above problems in mind that the present invention was developed. According to the present invention, there is provided a secure device which couples the wheeled I.V. pole having the intravenous infusion pump thereon to a wheeled patient transport device. The term "wheeled stretcher" will be utilized hereinafter to refer to a wheeled patient transport device for which the present invention is particularly suited. However, those in the art will appreciate that other wheeled patient transport devices, such as, a wheelchair, or the like, are also suitable for use in combination with the present invention.
According to the present invention, therefore, there is provided a coupling device which securely couples the rolling I.V. pole to a wheeled stretcher so that only one attendant is required to properly move a patient from one location to another in the hospital. The device according to the present invention may be disengaged quickly in the event of an emergency situation and can be conveniently stored under the patient transport device as will be explained in more detail below.
It is entirely foreseeable that an intravenous infusion pump will eventually be utilized for all patients receiving intravenous therapy since the intravenous pump represents the the state of the medical art for intravenous therapy. It is also foreseeable that other types of similarly mounted medical support equipment e.g. that type of support equipment which is fairly heavy and, therefore, needs independent mobility, will be used and transported with patients more frequently. Accordingly, the need for the device of the present invention will, in all probability, substantially increase over the need that is already readily apparent. Therefore, the present device represents a distinct advance in the art in that state of the art medical support equipment can be securely, yet removably, attached to a patient transport device so that they can be moved as a unit with the patient.
In addition to the above advantages the present invention may also be quickly and efficiently provided on all existing patient transport devices without destroying the integrity thereof. The device according to the present invention can also be provided as a standard integral feature on all new patient transport devices which may hereinafter be produced.
These and other advantages will become more clear after careful consideration is given to the detailed description of the preferred exemplary embodiments which follows.